B-
New England Patriots
More right than wrong for the Patriots, and a B- to prove it.
by Water ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
The war room fell hard for Ethan Downs, and it showed at pick No. 219: 58 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
Getting Harris where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. A whole weekend of picks and quarterback is somehow still a want.
A modest surplus at the table, banked quietly. The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 4 they get a press-man option on the boundary. More want than need.
No drama and no debate, Jonah Savaiinaea went about where he belonged in the Round 2 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Josaiah Stewart in pick No. 52 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Circle this one: Isaiah Bond at the 77th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A tidy bit of business in No. 83, where Quinshon Judkins graded well above the range. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
You do not let an interior defensive lineman like Deone Walker reach Round 4, Pick 4 and blink. They did not. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jermari Harris at pick 145 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Value said wait; Ethan Downs in the 219th pick says they were not listening. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. in No. 222 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A safety of that caliber at Round 7, Pick 22 is the definition of value, full stop. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.